The first horse infected with the deadly virus Lyssa

The Australian authorities announced yesterday that the first horse infected with Lyssa virus, a virus derived from bats, has killed three Australians.

According to the Queensland Biosafety Authority, the Lyssa virus spread from bats to horses indicates that the risk of human infection with this virus is not small.

A horse in Queensland. (Source: AFP)

The sick horse was initially diagnosed with a dangerous Hendra virus, but testing the patient's samples resulted in negative results for Hendra virus and positive for Lyssa virus - a virus that poses a high risk of death in humans more than Hendra virus.

Health officer of the Queensland Department of Biosafety, Jeanette Young, confirmed that this is the first case of Lyssa virus appearing in horses. He said in theory, it is very likely that this virus will spread from person to person.

So far, all three Australians have died from Lyssa virus infection since the virus was discovered in 1996, and human infections have been caused by direct contact with infected bat species in Queensland.

Currently the horse infected with Lyssa virus has been isolated and about 20 remaining horses will be tested to determine whether or not they are infected.

Lyssa virus when transmitted to humans can cause paralysis, delirium, convulsions, and eventually patients will die from respiratory failure.

Presence of rabies immune globulin and four doses of rabies vaccine have been shown to effectively prevent this deadly virus.